Colorado-Medical-Marijuana-Blog

The biggest barrier to gaining access
to the Colorado medical marijuana registry is most likely to be cost.
Because there are no general funds allotted to the program, users are
required to pay around $100 in fees to be a registered user. Also,
all applications, renewals and requests for change must be submitted
as a hard papery copy via mail, with changes made in blue ink and
must include a copy of the patient’s Colorado identification.

Not
all applications will be accepted, however. Recently, four
applications were denied due to lack of scientific evidence that
medical marijuana usage provided any beneficial effect. Among those
rejected were cases of Parkinson’s Disease, Asthma, Anxiety and
Bi-Polar Disorder. Although acceptance is carefully screened,
Colorado has currently used over 6,700 registry ID cards. The renewal
rate is 56 percent.

Citizens who would like to submit in
writing any comments on the proposed changes to the Colorado medical
marijuana registry program are strongly encouraged to do so before
May 15, 2009 in order to have those comments reviewed before the
hearing date of June 20, 2009. Anyone who has previously submitted a
comment is asked not to resubmit.

All comments that have been
submitted since February 10, 2009 will be included in the review and
any oral testimony will be kept to five minutes or less depending on
the number of people planning to testify. New comment submissions can
be sent by e-mail to cdphe.medicalmarijuanaregulations@state.co.us
by May 15, 2009.

If celebrities in the U.S. get their
way, Colorado medical marijuana growers could possibly see a boost in
sales. Pushing for marijuana legalization is Mexican singer and
guitar player Carlos Santana, who stated that legalization of the
drug would offer more opportunities for the country to divert funds
currently used to prevent marijuana use to more needy programs such
as teachers and education. During a recent online town hall meeting,
President Obama said he did not think the legalization of marijuana
was good economic policy. Celebrities such as Santana continue to
advocate for the drug’s legalization in the country.

The use of medical marijuana in
Colorado, while legal, still poses problems for people who have been
recommended by doctors to use the drug to manage pain caused by
accidents or long-term illnesses such as cancer or AIDS. Access to
the drug remains difficult, since most users reside on the western
slope and travel to dispensaries on the Front Range is hard for some
who are too sick to travel or grow their own.

In 2000, Colorado
voters passed an amendment to allow patients who were recommended by
a doctor to possess less than two ounces or grow up to six plants to
help with the management of pain. Although doctors are allowed to
recommend patients to the State Health Department, they are not able
to prescribe medical marijuana in Colorado. With over 5,000
registered medical marijuana users in the state, getting from the
recommendation to the actual product has been a difficult process.

A crowd of approximately 10,000 people
gathered recently at the University of Colorado to celebrate the use
of both Boulder medical marijuana and the overall use of marijuana.
As more states are beginning to legalize medical marijuana, Colorado
and other states are beginning to see more and more rallies to
support overall legalization of the drug.

The Boulder rally, knows as
International Cannabis Day, was also celebrated in Civic Center Park
in Denver with approximately 3,000 people gathering together to show
support. Police were stationed at the events to ensure public safety,
but no arrests were made. The holiday has gained attention over the
last several years as issues of medical marijuana use have been put
more and more in the spotlight.

Although medical marijuana in Colorado
and some other states has been legalized, basic marijuana use across
the country continues to remain illegal. At a recent online town hall
meeting held at the White House, President Obama responded to
questions regarding the overall legalization of marijuana.

President
Obama’s reply, while jovial, was that legalization of the drug was
not a good economic strategy would probably not be useful in turning
the economy around. Marijuana legalization was a very small portion
of the overall discussion which included universal healthcare,
mortgages, education, the auto industry and veteran’s care. The
President hopes to hold more of these online town hall type
discussions in the future.

Although Colorado medical marijuana
laws may eventually fall under the same scrutiny as other states
across the nation, for the time being medical marijuana dispensaries
remain safe from the prospect of raids by the Drug Enforcement
Administration.

As directed by Attorney General Eric Holder, federal
agents will concentrate their efforts mainly on distributors who
violate both state and federal laws. Medical marijuana growers
adhering to state laws will not be a priority of the new
administration. This is a step away from the policies of the old
Presidential administration which tended to target all medical
marijuana growers.

Although a voter-approved amendment to
the state constitution has deemed medical marijuana in Colorado
legal, conflicts still arise. The City of Ft. Collins refused to pay
a couple’s claim for over $200,000 after plants that were seized in
a raid were left to rot and die.

The confiscated plants were returned
to the couple over a year later when a judge ruled that the couple
qualified as Colorado medical marijuana growers. The claim was later
filed by the couple who stated the plants were dry, dead and moldy,
but the Police claim they were not required to keep them alive
because the couple did not have the proper permits. According to the
couple’s attorney a civil suit will probably be filed in state
court in an attempt to force the city to pay for the damages.

Medical marijuana in Colorado has found
another roadblock. A young Brighton High School student and her
boyfriend, who is not a Brighton High School student, were denied
access into the Wings Over The Rockies Museum in Denver, where
Brighton High’s prom was being held.

According to police officers
on duty, there was a prominent marijuana smell present, although
searching provided no results. Jason Schweinsberg, who was attending
the prom with Brighton High student Sarah Heideman, states he is
registered as a Colorado medical marijuana user to manage long-term
pain caused by a car crash, but had not used the marijuana since
early that morning. Although marijuana use in Colorado is illegal,
medical marijuana use is legal for registered users.